Tonameca
by everruler
Summary: The Tonamec, a tribe of humans, have lived in Equestria for thousands of years before the Ponies came. When the Ponies did arrive, the Tonamec fought them, resulting in the Tonamec being wrongfully turned to stone. After being released five hundred years later, the Tonamec want to reclaim their homeland and get revenge against the Ponies. Can the Mane Six prevent an all-out war?
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

Tonameca

Hello everypony!

This is my first fanfic – well, the first that I'm publishing. It's modeled on Human in Equestria fics, but I changed some stuff a bit – for example, making humans the indigenous people of Equestria before the Ponies arrived.

I'm also proud to say that this fanfic will be featuring my own conlang – Tonamec (pronounced taw-nuh-mek). (Actually, there is very little Tonamec in this fanfic – I still need to come up with a lot of words and grammar and stuff)

But before I start this story, I want to say this:

First, there will be no swearwords, profanities, or any inappropriate language here.

Second, though I will include some romance (there's always got to be romance), there will be no sex scenes, signs of homosexual relations among any of the ponies (especially the Mane Six), or any sexual or adult jokes, innuendoes, or overtones at all.

Third, this fanfic will contain some Human x Pony romance – if you don't like this kind of romance, don't read this fanfic.

Fourth, please, no flaming – I'll take constructive criticism, but not flaming. 

Oh – and before I forget, I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic; that belongs to Lauren Faust and Hasbro. The only characters I do own are the Tonamec ones.

So, without further ado (and I think this is enough "ado"), here it is: Tonameca. (pronounced taw-nah-mek-kah)

Prologue: Five Hundred Years Ago

We all know the story of Equestria's founding. Once, the ponies were divided into the Three Tribes – the Unicorns, the Pegasi, and the Earth Ponies – who all hated each other. Then, the wendigos came and froze their homeland. So, the tribes searched for a new land – and they found one. However, the tribes still fought amongst one another, and the wendigos followed them there. However, when the tribes realized that they were all Ponies, their newfound friendship drove the wendigos away. The Tribes united and announced the formation of Equestria.

But this isn't the whole story.

The Ponies didn't know this, but Equestria was already inhabited. The indigenous people were strange creatures that looked like some sort of primate. They were very tall – twice as tall as a pony. They walked on their back legs, but their front hooves were shaped strangely – they looked almost like claws, with precisely five digits on each hoof; these digits could be used to grasp objects. The creatures were practically hairless except for a small mane on the top of their heads. For some strange reason, only the females grew it long; the males cut it short. The creatures had small eyes, no discernable muzzles, and no horns or wings. They had absolutely no magical abilities whatsoever. They called themselves the Tonamec, which meant "People of the Sun".

Despite their lack of magical skill, the Tonamec were a great people. They were extremely advanced in science, art, and mathematics, not unlike Mesoamerican civilizations like the Maya on Earth. The Tonamec's capital and greatest city was Tonameca, which was deep inside the Everfree Forest.

At first, the Tonamec gave them no attention. Then, no sooner after Nightmare Moon's banishment, the ponies started encroaching on Tonamec land.

When the Ponies found the Tonamec, they denounced them as uncivilized and savage. When Ponies started taking Tonamec land, the Tonamec fiercely fought back, but to no avail. The Tonamec's bodies were very delicate and very susceptible to magic, so many Tonamec died when they were attacked by Ponies. The Ponies also brought deadly diseases which killed many Tonamec. The Ponies' Imperial Guard soldiers would routinely burn down Tonamec villages and towns, while the Tonamec would raid many Pony settlements.

The Ponies at this point were convinced the Tonamec were evil monsters. Finally, only five years after Nightmare Moon's, mounting tension finally led both sides to declare war. After hundreds of years of brutal fighting, the Ponies destroyed many Tonamec towns. The Tonamec, fearing for their lives, fled to Tonameca.

Though the Tonamec were still thousands strong, they were no match for the Ponies. When the Ponies defeated the Tonamec army, the Tonamec fled Tonameca as well. They went as far as the mountains, when the Ponies found them. Princess Celestia cast a spell that turned the entire Tonamec tribe into stone.

With the Tonamec out of the way, Equestria was free to grow and prosper – which it did. But the Ponies never found Tonameca. It was said that a unicorn wizard who was on the Tonamec's side cast a cloaking spell over Tonameca so that no one but a Tonamec could enter.

The Tonamec would remain stone for thousands of years, a time that would see the emergence and release of Nightmare Moon and the adventures of six certain ponies and their dragon friend.

But was this really the end of the Tonamec? Doomed to be stone forever? Never to return from their homeland? There was an ancient prophecy, found at the ruins of a Tonamec temple, that said:

The paths of the sun and moon will cross

And break away the deep-grown moss

With diamond glow, flesh and bone

Will return from ancient stone

The People shall reclaim their place

But hatred and fear shall rear their face

Our great People would be undone,

With hope we turn to the only sun

We turn to you, O Chosen One

Do battle with the Queen of the Sun

Find the Seventh, and the world will see

The Tonamec to be finally free.


	2. Chapter 2: The Solar Eclipse

Chapter 1: The Solar Eclipse

On a seemingly normal day in Ponyville, Spike was helping Rarity find some jewels for a brand new line of dresses. Rarity was trotting along, her head swiveling to the left and right as her horn glowed. Spike was dragging along a wagon in hot pursuit.

"I know there are some jewels around here somewhere," she murmured. She stopped for a minute and looked at Spike, "Oh, and Spike, thank you again for helping me."

"Aw, my pleasure," Spike said casually.

Rarity couldn't help but giggle. Suddenly, her horn glowed and pointed to the left. "Oh! Spike! Jewels, right there!" she said excitedly, pointing with her hoof to a nondescript spot on the ground.

Spike immediately sprang into action – he went to the spot and dug with his claws, making dirt fly everywhere. Finally, a pile of multicolored jewels emerged, sparkling in the sun.

"Ooh…" Spike started to drool as he involuntarily started to reach for a jewel. Then, the jewels became surrounded by a blue light and flew off. "Wha?" Spike murmured, snapping out of his trace looking around to see where his meal might have escaped.

Rarity giggled again. "Spike, these jewels are for the dresses, remember."

"Oh…right…" Spike said. Rarity kept revealing pile after pile of jewels – none of which he was allowed to eat, to his dismay.

Suddenly, Rarity's horn glowed extremely bright. Her head swiveled around and pointed ahead. She surged forward, the dragon trying to keep up with her. Rarity finally stopped at a cave.

"In there!" she said.

"In…there?" Spike said, looking at the immense darkness inside the cave.

"Hold on," Rarity said, noticing her friend's fear. Her horn glowed and shot light into the cave.

What they saw made them gasp and back away in fear.

It appeared to be some sort of tall, hulking figure in the darkness.

"Wh-Who are you?" Rarity said. The figure didn't respond.

"I said, who are you?" Rarity asked again, more forcefully this time. The figure gave no sign that it had heard her. It didn't even move.

Rarity started to slowly creep forward. She didn't know why – maybe it was curiosity. Or maybe it was because she was a little irritated that this creature was outright ignoring her.

"Hello there?" she asked. "Ahem!" She walked forward, more boldly. "Excuse me? Excuse me! I am speaking to you, and I demand that you answer –" She looked up, her horn illuminating the creature's face. She gave a little scream and scampered back.

It wasn't a creature at all – it was a statue.

But…it wasn't a normal statue. For one thing, it wasn't even a pony. It was incredibly tall – at least twice her height. It was reared up on its back hooves, which didn't look like hooves at all. Its front hooves were shaped like claws, only they weren't sharp. In its claws, it held what looked like a primitive spear. But the spear wasn't stone – it was wooden, four feet long and topped with a strange black blade that glinted in the light. And yet the statue's digits were clamped tightly around the spear…

But what really shocked Rarity was its face. The statue was staring up at something, slanting its eyes and slightly baring its teeth, almost as if it was…angry.

"Rarity!" Spike ran up to her. "Are you alright?" He looked up and the statue and gasped. "What the heck is _that_?!"

"I don't know." She backed away from the statue when the light from her horn made something else appear. She looked and saw more statues – thousands of them. They were all huddled together. They looked almost like the first statue – very tall, reared up on two legs, the strange digits – but they all had different hair lengths, clothing, and gender, it looked like. They all had different expressions. Some looked angry, while some looked scared, terrified even.

"Now why would somepony make a thousand creepy-looking statues and shove them all in a cave?" Spike asked as he looked around.

"I have no idea," Rarity replied. Momentarily forgetting about the gems, they looked around the cave. Rarity found a circle of stones with some charred wood at the center, like the remnants of an old campfire. Beside it was a clay pot that looked like it had been knocked over and smashed. It had some mysterious substance in it, but Rarity dared not touch it. Spike found some sharp blades, made out of some glass-like rock. He also found some spears, arrows, and large clubs.

"What is this place?" Rarity murmured to herself. Then, she remembered the task at hoof. "Oh, dear! Spike, we need to gather more jewels!"

Spike jumped and ran over to her. He grabbed the wagon with the jewels and started to walk out of the cave beside Rarity. They were about to step out of the cave when, all of a sudden, Spike saw something in the sky – something that should not have been in the sky at that time.

"Uh, R-R-Rarity?" he quivered. "I-I think you should see this!" He frantically pointed to the sky. The thing he saw was a large gray object slowly rising – the moon.

"The moon?" Rarity asked. "That makes no sense, it's the middle of the day!"

"It's getting awfully close to the sun…" Spike said, quivering. Rarity looked and saw that the moon was indeed approaching the sun rather quickly. They both watched in horror as the moon overtook the sun, blocking it out entirely. A great shadow passed over the land, making the middle of the day look more like the middle of the night.

"What's going on?" Spike hollered. Both of them were now very scared.

Then, they heard a cracking noise behind them, like stone crumbling. They whipped around to see the statues – but there were now large cracks webbed on them. Beams of light shot out from the cracks, glowing in the dark.

That was the last straw. Rarity and Spike immediately ran out of the cave screaming. Then, Spike stopped. He looked back and saw the wagon full of the gems they found. He quickly zoomed over and grabbed the wagon's handle.

"Now, where was I?" he asked himself, tapping his claw on his chin. "Oh, yeah." He ran out of the cave, screaming again.

Meanwhile, in Ponyville, the townsfolk were watching in a mixture of wonder and horror as they looked at the sun, which was now blocked by the moon. Among them was a young unicorn mare with a lavender coat, purple eyes, and a dark blue, purple, and hot pink mane and tail – her name was Twilight Sparkle.

"Oh my gosh, the moon is blocking out the sun, the moon is blocking out the sun, _why_ is the moon blocking out the sun?!" Twilight said, her eyes never leaving the sky.

Suddenly, she gasped. "Oh, no. What if the princesses are in trouble? Spike? Spike, I need you! Oh, no, wait, he's with Rarity looking for gems – oh, I hope he's okay…" She ran over to a bookshelf and pulled out a book on astronomy. She madly flipped through it until she found an article that said, "The phenomenon of the moon crossing in front of the sun with respect to the earth is called a solar eclipse." But there was nothing else besides that.

Just then, there was a large crash as the door to the library fell to the ground. Rarity and Spike ran in, screaming. They eventually crashed into a bookshelf and tumbled to the group in a heap. The gems from the wagon spilled everywhere.

"Rarity, Spike, are you alright?" Twilight said, running over to them. Rarity and Spike scrambled to their feet (or hooves) and started talking loudly at the same time.

"I can't understand a word you're saying! One at a time!" Twilight said.

"Well," Spike said, "Rarity and I were searching for gems,"

"When we came across a cave," Rarity added.

Spike: "We decided to go in to look for more gems, but –"

Rarity: "We found these strange statues!"

Spike: "And when we went back out –"

Rarity: "The moon started to rise and it blocked out the sun!"

Spike: "Then the statues started to crack and glow!"

Rarity: "And we ran all the way here."

Spike: "And that's the whole story."

All Twilight did was blink as she processed the information. "Strange statues? Cracking and glowing?" She looked back at the sky. "I'll see if I can figure the statues out later. Spike, I think the princesses might be in trouble. I need you to breathe fire on me to send me to the princesses."

Both Rarity and Spike gasped. "Twilight, are you _insane_?" Spike yelled. "You want me to set you on _fire_?!"

"You don't set fire to my Friendship Reports."

"Well, yeah, but they're made of paper!"

"Please, Spike, I have to go!"

"I don't what my fire breath's going to do to something alive!"

"Spike, there's no other way!"

"Wait!" Rarity suddenly said, interrupting the lavender unicorn and dragon. "Look!" The two unicorns and dragon looked up to the sky and saw that the moon was slowly leaving the sun, going down and finally disappearing over some mountains.

They were all speechless.

"Oh," Spike broke the silence. "Well, I guess everything's okay now."

Twilight whirled around. "No, Spike. There's something going on. I don't know what it is, but I'm going to find out." She ran to the bookshelf and started pulling out book after book, muttering to herself.

"Well," Rarity said. "I guess I should be going. Thank you again, Spike. Ta-ta!" She used her magic to gather the fallen gems and walked out the door. Spike jumped up, trying to snatch at the gems, to no avail. When the door closed shut, Spike groaned.

Twilight paid no attention. She was too busy looking through book after book, looking at one, tossing it to the ground, looking at another, and then tossing that to the ground, all the while mumbling to herself.


	3. Chapter 3: Awoken from Stone

Chapter 2: Awoken from Stone

Hello everypony!

Before I start the story, here is a term that will be used in this and upcoming chapters:

Ch'ont'a (pronounced: chon-tah) (plural: ch'ont'an (pronounced chon-tahn) – the Tonamec term for "pony," meant to be derogatory. It also means "enemy" or "foreigner." The ch' and t' are ejective consonants, which means…well, you have to spit them. (Note: this word is derived from the Nahuatl word "chontalli," which also means "foreigner.")

Meanwhile, in the cave, the statues were cracking and glowing. There was a loud cracking sound, as if a million rocks were being smashed to pebbles all at the same time. Finally, with a burst of bright yellow light, the statues shattered, grey pieces of stone falling to the floor. When the light faded, the statues now had flesh and bone – they were alive! They stumbled around, looking disoriented. They looked all over, as if they didn't know where they were.

What happened? one of them said. The creature looked at his arm and gently touched the skin. It felt warm and yielded to his touch. I…I can't believe it, he said.

Many of the creatures there, now realizing they were no longer statues, cheered and whooped.

Dad? a creature called out. He appeared to be younger than the other creatures. Mazal? Where are you?

Suddenly, an older creature ran up, seized the creature and held him close. Tonatiuh! he said. Oh, I'm so glad you're safe.

I'm glad you're okay, too, Dad, the creature named Tonatiuh replied. Another creature ran up to Tonatiuh and his father.

Mazal! Tonatiuh said. You're okay!

Tonatiuh! the creature named Mazal replied, grinning. The creature appeared to be female.

Your highnesses! Your highnesses! a voice said. An old, white-haired creature carrying a staff ran up.

Camayo! Tonatiuh called out. You're alright too!

That I am, my young prince, the creature named Camayo said, smiling. He turned to Tonatiuh's father and Mazal and said, Emperor Tezozomoc, Princess Mazal – I am so glad all of you are alright.

Suddenly, realization dawned on Tonatiuh's face. Wait…where are the Ponies?

The entire cave went silent.

There were shouts among the crowd: What did happen to the _ch'ont'an_? Did those cowards turn us to stone and then leave us here? I have some words to say to those mud-eating animals!

_Silence!_ Emperor Tezozomoc said. The entire cave fell silent again.

He looked at some creatures with spears. Search the cave, he said simply. The creatures immediately fanned out to search the cave.

After ten minutes, one of the men came up to the emperor and said, My lord, there is no one here but us.

The emperor did not speak, but fixed his eyes on the mouth of the cave. Suddenly, he shouted out, Archers, spearmen, fire!

A cloud of arrows and spears flew out of the cave and into the light. But there was no sound except for a clattering noise.

Emperor Tezozomoc raised an eyebrow. He started to cautiously walk toward the opening of the cave.

Your highness, be careful! two guards hollered, running after him. Tonatiuh, Mazal, and Camayo followed. As soon as the emperor came into the light, his eyes shut instinctively and he cringed. He stood up straight again, squinting his eyes. He looked down and there were the arrows and spears, lying on the ground, having not hit anything at all.

How strange, he said. There seems to be no one here,

Camayo ran up to him. They could be hiding, he said.

Emperor Tezozomoc looked at him. No. I would know if someone was hiding from me.  
>Then, on an impulse, Tonatiuh, who had been following behind, said What about Tonameca? Both men suddenly widened their eyes in realization.<p>

Everyone! the emperor called. All of the creatures turned to Emperor Tezozomoc and knelt. Rise, he ordered. We will decide what to do with the _ch'ont'an_ later. Right now, we need to go to Tonameca.

And with that, the emperor turned and walked slowly down the mountain path, Tonatiuh, Mazal, and Camayo following close behind. The rest of the creatures moved on ahead, following.


	4. Chapter 4: Arrival at the Great City

Chapter 3: Arrival at the Great City

Author's note: For this chapter and the next, the story will be told from Tonatiuh's point of view. Also, here are how to pronounce the character's names:

Tonatiuh – taw-nuh-tyoh

Tezozomoc – teh-zaw-zuh-mock

Mazal – mah-sahl

Camayo – kah-mai-yoh

Machakwe – mah-chak-way

You'll also encounter these terms:

Tawa (tah-wah) – the Tonamec creator god who made the first Tonamec out of wood from the Everfree Forest. (Trivia: Tawa is actually the name of the Hopi sun god.)

Tsolpena (tsol-peh-nah) – the Tonamec term for Poison Joke flowers. (Trivia: in Tonamec, _tsol_ means blue, and _pena_ means flower, so _tsolpena_ literally means "blue flower.")

"_Placeholder_" – Tonamec dialogue (the translation will be placed after the dialogue in underlining)

_Placeholder_ – thoughts or animal dialogue

I'm trying to upload a chapter at least weekly, so I just wanted you to know that I haven't given up on this story – I've put in too much effort to chuck it.

The path was steep and long as it meandered around the mountainside. None of us said a word as we walked. We were only focused on getting back home.

My name is Tonatiuh. I come from a people called the Tonamec. We're very tall, and even though we have four limbs, we walk on our back legs. We call our front legs "arms" and our back legs…well, simply "legs." We're mostly hairless except for the top of our heads. We have no muzzle, wings, horns, or claws.

My father's name is Emperor Tezozomoc. He's about forty years old, and he has olive-colored, slightly sunken skin and shoulder-length black hair. I've been told he was a powerful warrior when he was young. My father said that Pony Guards imprisoned and killed my mom when I was just a baby. Ever since, he's been raising me. Since he's the emperor of the Tonamec people, that makes me the prince.

Standing next to him was a man named Machakwe. He was one of my father's finest warriors and was a general of the Tonamec army. He was known was being very strong and ruthless in battle. He was a very tall, muscular man, and always seemed to be holding a weapon. He spoke with a very deep and powerful voice.

My sister's name is Mazal. She's about my age and also has olive skin and shoulder length black hair. Mazal is very strong and wants to be a great warrior one day – I remember one time when Mazal came home with a bloody gash in her left arm. When Dad bound the wound and demanded how it got there, she said the wound was from a spear – she ambushed a lone Pony Imperial Guard and beat him down. She still has the scar to prove it.

The only friend I had was Camayo. Camayo is about fifty or sixty years old – he never told me his age. He was wearing a white robe and carried a six-feet-long wooden staff topped with feathers, tapping it around on the ground as he walked. Camayo is our chief priest to the Great Temple back in Tonameca – our main temple to _Tawa_, the creator god. He has olive skin too, but his hair is white and his skin is more sunken and wrinkled. I first met him when I was four. My father went to the Great Temple to pray, and he took me with him. I looked at Camayo for the first time, and I learned that he was actually very kind and wise.

Both Mazal and Dad hate Ponies, probably like almost every other Tonamec here. My dad and Mazal probably hate Ponies the most.

I've never told anyone this, but I don't think Ponies are bad at all. I'd seen them before – they're harmless. They may have invaded our land, but they're so much like us. I didn't understand why we have to fight one other. I think Camayo agrees with me, so at least I'm not totally alone.

Still, I didn't think the Ponies thought the same way, and I was worried that any minute Pony Guards would ambush us. I looked back at the bow slung across my back. That bow was a gift from my father, and he taught me how to shoot. Still, I hoped I wouldn't have to use it.

When we finally got to the end of the path, we saw the Everfree Forest ahead of us. Camayo told me this was the birthplace of the Tonamec. He said this was where _Tawa_ carved the first men and women from wood. For some reason, the Ponies were afraid of this forest. My father says it was because the spirits in the forest did not like the Ponies invading our land, so they frightened off any Ponies who came in.

All of a sudden, the forest began to rustle. The trees and branches looked like they were bending, like they were making a path for us. I saw blue flowers bloom from the trees. We call them _tsolpena_, but the Ponies call them Poison Joke.

Poison Joke flowers are just like any other kind of flowers to us, but the Ponies don't go near them. The flowers do all sorts of crazy things to Ponies, like making their horns go soft, deepening their voices, making them lose their balance, causing them to grow lots of hair – there are a lot of them.

My father smiled. "_I see the forest is happy._" We went straight in. I looked around as the open fields and mountains left us and the forest came. Trees surrounded us on all sides, and all sorts of plants grew along the path's edge. Still, the forest was peaceful and calm.

You may be wondering why we would just walk in to a giant forest and expect to find a giant city. Camayo said that the Tonamec have a connection to the Everfree Forest. We can navigate around it to Tonameca. When I asked Camayo how it worked, he said something about how the spirits and how the Tonamec were made from the Everfree Forest.

I still have no idea how it works. But, we were all following my dad, who was marching forward. In the back of my head, I somehow knew where to go too – whenever we came to a crossroads, my mind instantly knew which way to go. I can't really explain it any better.

I turned to Camayo. "_What did he mean, the forest is happy?_"

Camayo turned to me and said, "_He means that the spirits of the forest are happy that we have returned. There are spirits everywhere, Tonatiuh, from the ground to the trees to the animals to the sky – and that includes all Tonamec as well._" He pointed to my neck. I looked down and saw my _xokak_ around my neck.

_Xokak_ means "spirit guide." A spirit guide (Camayo tells me) is a spirit that guides and protects people, bonding them to the Spirit World. It can also be an amulet that people carry with them, to ward off evil. A _xokak_ is usually an animal, like a manticore or a Tatzlwurm. My _xokak_ was a phoenix, which my father says is a sign of strength, cunning, and royalty.

Suddenly, I smelled something rotting and slightly earthy. A pack of Timberwolves jumped out of a bush – gigantic wolf-like creatures made of dry logs and sticks with glowing green eyes.

My father smiled. "_Hello, my brothers._" The timberwolves stepped back like they were surprised.

Then, I heard a raspy voice in my head. _It can't be…_

"_Who said that?_" I said out loud.

Camayo turned to me. "_No one._"

_It is! The Tonamec have returned!_ the voice said. The Timberwolves surrounded us, wagging their tails. A small Timberwolf jumped up and gave me a wet kiss on the cheek.

_We must tell the others,_ the voice said. _Farewell, Tonamec!_ The Timberwolves ran into the forest.

Who was that? Did I imagine those voices? I decided to forget about it.

After a couple minutes, we arrived at a waterfall. Lily pads and other plants floated in the water. A Parasprite flew down on a lily pad flower, like it wanted to smell it, and then flew on.

My father stepped to the edge of the lake. He raised his hands and said, "_Nawal Tawaran!_" I am of Tawa! Immediately, the waterfall started to rumble. The water eventually parted slowly, dividing into two waterfalls, revealing a cave and a stone pathway leading to it.

My father suddenly stopped. I knew exactly what he was thinking.

"_I got it,_" I said. I went to the side and grabbed some dry sticks. I set them on a boulder near the pond and took out a piece of flint. I picked up a rock from the ground and struck the flint with it. With each strike, red-hot sparks flew from the rocks. Eventually, some of the sparks touched the dry twigs, and I saw some smoke rise from the sticks. I carefully blew on the sticks until there was a small fire going. I looked around and picked up a dry stick. I put one end in the flames until the end was completely on fire. I ran up to my dad and gave his the torch.

He smiled. "_Very resourceful, my son._" I smiled back, and then cupped some pond water with my hands and put out the fire that was still on the boulder.

He turned to the group behind us. "_Let's go,_" he said simply. We all walked ahead on the stone pathway. Eventually, the forest gave way to a pitch-black cave. Rocky walls, stalactites, and stalagmites faded in and out of view with the flickering torchlight. The cave was absolutely silent except for the sound of thousands of footsteps on the cave floor. Soon, we saw light up ahead.

There was our home, Tonameca. I was eager to run up into the light, but I forced myself to walk.

When we finally arrived there, what we saw totally surprised us. The entire crowd cried out.

It was Tonameca, I knew it was, but…

Buildings were crumbling. Vines and moss covered and webbed the sides of statues and temples. Some of the steles had topple over and broken. It wasn't destroyed, it was just…dilapidated.

"_What…just…_" was all I could say.

"_What is the meaning of this?!_" my father demanded, his eyes wide.

"How...?" Camayo asked before his voice trailed off.

"_Our city, it's in ruins!_" Mazal exclaimed. "_What happened?!_" The entire crowd erupted in angry shouting.

"_Silence!_" my father roared. The yelling died down in an instant.

I looked around silently. I couldn't believe it. What happened here? Then, I thought of something. "_Camayo…how long were we in those statues?_"

He turned to me, staring me down. "_If what you say is true,_" he said in a voice impossibly soft, "_then I don't know…and I'm not sure I want to find out._"

It wasn't reassuring. Statues don't keep time well, but I thought we were in there for, a few days, maybe. But cities don't become like this in just a few days…

I looked back and saw my father kneeling before a fallen stele. He was cutting off the vines on it with a knife. Then, with a low grunt, he lifted the stele up until it was standing again. He brushed off the moss and dirt from the stele and then said, "_We need to repair Tonameca. Every able man and woman, come with me._"

Everyone immediately set to work, removing vines, scrubbing away moss, standing steles, and repairing buildings. It was amazing – seeing thousands of people all working together. Mazal and I managed to help out a bit too before Dad stopped us.

By nightfall, most of the steles were standing again, the Palace was nearly repaired, and the nobles' houses no longer looked like they would collapse at any minute.

I had just finished dusting off the moss from a stele of my father when I heard a voice call, "_Tonatiuh!_" I saw Dad, Mazal, and a couple of guards standing by the palace gate. I ran over to them, and together we entered the courtyard.

I looked over the courtyard – or what was left of it. Weeds sprouted on the grounds. The flower bushes had turned to dry brown bundles of sticks. The trees were bare. But there were some Poison Joke flowers that had spread across the ground in certain places. I took some comfort in that.

We entered the main hallway, which didn't help my mood at all. It was dark and dingy, certainly not what a palace should be. Moss and vines covered the walls, and insects would occasionally crawl along the walls.

We went through the Hall of Murals – which is exactly what it is. The murals, my dad told me, show the history of the Tonamec people – there was a mural of Tawa creating the first Tonamec, the construction of Tonameca, and even the Pony invasion. But the murals were dull and grimy; a couple even had cracks or parts of them erased.

I didn't understand any of this. The last time I was here, the palace was beautiful. The courtyard was full of rare plants and trees. The palace was always kept spotless. And the murals were always brightly colored, as if they'd just been painted. But now…

Before I knew it, we arrived at my bedroom. It was just like the rest of the palace – there were vines and moss on the walls. Dust was everywhere. Weeds sprouted out from cracks in the walls.

My dad turned to me and Mazal. "_Tonatiuh, Mazal,_" he said softly. "_I'm not sure what's going on…but it's going to be alright. We will repair the city and find out what happened._"

"_Thank you, Dad,_" I said.

He smiled. "_Mazal, you go to bed. Tonatiuh…I would like to speak with you._"

I thought that was strange, but I walked with him down the hallway. I eventually saw the throne room – which was just as grimy and worn as everything else. The throne was eroded and worn, and it had even cracked in some places. The hearth was black and grimy, with black, charred pieces of wood.

I saw Camayo standing near the hearth. Dad walked towards the hearth, and then reached for the inner wall. He pulled out what looked like a box and carried it over. It just looked like a gray stone box sprinkled with ash to me.

Then, he opened it, showing what looked like a pan flute. It was a row of hollow clay tubes arranged from shortest to longest, held together by a small wooden stick and some twine. It wasn't decorated and it didn't have fancy designs, or anything.

"_A pan flute,_" I said.

"_It's a family heirloom,_" my father said. He gingerly picked it up and placed it in my hand. "_Your mother would have wanted you to wear it._"

Then, I widened my eyes. The world around me faded out into black.


	5. Chapter 5: The Prophecy

Chapter 4: The Prophecy

**Note: **

**Skeletonthatdrinkrootbeer: Thank you for pointing out that there were no quotation marks. Since the Tonamec originally only speak their own language, I was going to use greater-than and lesser-than signs for Tonamec dialogue, but apparently those signs didn't appear. So, from now on, I'm going to make Tonamec dialogue italics in quotation marks. **

**The guest: I didn't think of that…the Tonamec tipping their weapons with Poison Joke would be interesting…I think I'm going to use that :). **

**Also – I've made a slight change to the Tonamec dialogue in the previous chapter, and, to include the plot device of the Tonamec interacting with Granny Smith and her family when she was a filly, I've revised the Prologue. Now, the Tonamec have been trapped in stone for five hundred years instead of five thousand years. **

**Here's a term that will be used in this chapter: **

_**Ch'ont'awatz**_** (pronounced ch'on-t'a-wahts): The Tonamec term for the language of the Ponies. It literally means "Pony-speech." (Trivia: **_**wa**_** means "to talk" and the **_**ts**_** denotes the act of doing something, so **_**watz**_** means "the act of speaking" or "speech.")**

"Placeholder" – English dialogue

"_Placeholder_" – Tonamec dialogue

_Placeholder_ – thoughts

I almost screamed. I found myself face-to-face with…her – Celestia – the Princess of Equestria.

"Listen!" I said. "We don't have to do this! You have the power to end all this right now!" Why was I saying that – and did I speak in the Ponies' language?

"Yes," she said smoothly. "I do have the power – the power to protect my country and my subjects from threats like you!"

"Please," I said. "We're only trying to defend the people we love."

"And now I'm going to defend what I love," Celestia said stoically. Her horn glowed, and it shot a blast of pure white light towards me. Everything became white.

I thought I heard a voice calling me – "_Tonatiuh? Tonatiuh, wake up!_" It was distorted, like the speaker was underwater. Then, the light faded, showing the faces of Camayo, my father, and some warriors.

"_What…What happened?_" I asked. I got up, feeling a little disoriented.

"_I just gave you the pan flute, and then you passed out,_" my father said.

"_Are you alright, Tonatiuh?_" Camayo asked me.

"_I'm fine,_" I said. My father dismissed the warriors.

"_Tonatiuh,_" Camayo said. "_Did you…see anything?_"

"_What do you mean?_" I asked him.

"_When you passed out, did you see or dream something?_"

I wasn't sure if they would believe me, but I told them what I saw. They were silent for a long time.

"_Celestia attacked you?_" my father said. "_And you could speak ch'ont'awatz?_" He and Camayo exchanged worried glances.

"_Tonatiuh,_" Camayo said. "_I believe the Spirits sent you a vision._"

"_A vision?_" I said.

"_Yes. Usually, only priests have visions from the Spirits. Tonatiuh, listen – Spirit visions never lie. Whatever you saw will happen._"

"_So I need to fight Celestia?_"

"_What? No, no, you will not fight Celestia!_" my father said. "_She would kill you easily!_"

"_But, Your Highness – remember the Great Prophecy?_" Camayo asked. The Great Prophecy?

"_The Great Prophecy…yes,_" my father said.

"_What's the Great Prophecy?_" I asked.

"_It's an ancient prophecy foretold only just before the Ponies arrived,_" Camayo said. "_It has been a long time, but I still remember it._" He started to recite:

_The paths of the sun and moon will cross _

_And break away the deep-grown moss_

_With diamond glow, flesh and bone _

_Will return from ancient stone _

_The People shall reclaim their place _

_But hatred and fear shall rear their face_

_Our great People would be undone, _

_With hope we turn to the only sun_

_We turn to you, O Chosen One _

_ Do battle with the Queen of the Sun_

_ Find the Seventh, and the world will see _

_ The Tonamec to be finally free. _

There was a long pause. "_Tonatiuh…I think you are the Chosen One of the Prophecy,_" Camayo said.

"_What?_"

"_Your name does mean 'sun.' And 'the Queen of the Sun' is obviously Celestia._"

"_But Celestia has the Elements!_" my father said. "_No creature on this earth can fight the Elements._"

I wanted to say this "Ancient Prophecy" couldn't be true, but instead I asked, "_What's the Seventh?_"

"_There is much we do not know about the Great Prophecy,_" was Camayo's response. "_Only with time will all be revealed._"

I sat there, staring down onto the floor. Prophecy? Chosen One? It couldn't be real.

My dad looked out the window and said, "_It's getting late. You must go to bed._"

"_But – alright._"

"_Goodnight, my son._"

"_Goodnight, Dad, Camayo_." I didn't know why, but I had a strange feeling that Camayo was purposefully not telling me something. I walked out of the throne room and back to my room. I still couldn't believe what was happening. I couldn't be a Chosen One. And I wasn't sure I believed this Prophecy.

I saw Mazal by the entryway of my room, waiting. She noticed the pan flute on my neck. "_You got a pan flute?_" she asked. I told her about the pan flute, my vision, and the Prophecy and how I was supposedly the Chosen One. She widened her eyes. "_You're going to fight Celestia?_"

"_No,_" I answered. "_There has to be a mistake._"

"_Camayo may say some crazy things,_" Mazal said. "_But he's always serious, especially if it has something to do with the Spirits. If you really going to defeat Celestia –_"

"_I'm not going to defeat Celestia,_" I said. I wanted nothing to do with Celestia, much less fight her.

There was a pause before Mazal said, "_How long do you think we were in stone?_"

"_I don't know,_" I admitted. "_I asked the same question to Camayo, and he didn't know either._"

"_But he knows everything!_"

"_I know. It's scary, Mazal. I mean, something like this could've only happened if –_" I stopped myself as a really, _really_ scary idea came into my mind.

"_Tonatiuh?_" Mazal said. "_Are you okay? You look pale._"

I shook my head to forget the idea I had. "_I'm fine,_" I said. "_Let's go to bed before Dad comes._"

"_Alright._" Mazal sounded unsure. "_But whatever's going on, we're going to find out._"

_I'm not sure I want to find out,_ I thought. "_Good night, Mazal._"

"_Good night,_" Mazal answered. She walked towards her room, which was right across from mine. I walked into my room and looked out the window. My mind flashed back to the last time I was here.

The section we had arrived in was called the Acropolis. This was where the palaces, temples (including the Great Temple), and the nobles' houses were. Below it was the Village. These were mainly fields occupied by civilians.

The Acropolis used to be so lively, full of people. My father once told me that the Village only had about a few hundred huts. Now, there were thousands of hastily made peasant huts for the refugees from other villages that had been destroyed by the Ponies. There were so many refugees, and new ones kept arriving almost every day. It was sad to think that so many people's lives were ruined. What did they ever do?

Then, one day, my father ran to me and said we were leaving. He looked really panicked, like something was going to attack him at any second. When I asked why, he said the Ponies had defeated the army – and they were coming here. We had to evacuate.

I couldn't believe what was happening. My mind was in a daze as my father dragged me by the wrist out the palace. We joined a crowd of thousands of people who were running deep into the Everfree Forest. I only remember bits and pieces after that. People shouting…guards calling out orders…everyone looking horrified…

I also remember something else – a unicorn with pink and purple coat and a mane with red, pink, white, and orange stripes. I saw her say something hurriedly to Camayo, and then run off towards Tonameca. Her name was Galaxy. She was probably the only Pony who didn't hate the Tonamec. Not everyone trusted her, Mazal wanted to kill her, and my dad took was careful not to let her anywhere near me, but what I did know about her was that she was a powerful unicorn and a friend of Camayo's.

Later, Camayo told me that Galaxy had cast a spell over Tonameca to prevent it from being invaded by the Ponies. She hid it behind a waterfall, and told him that if they ever wanted to return to Tonameca, they would go to the waterfall and say the phrase "_Nawal Tawaran_", which means "I am of Tawa." This would open the waterfall and lead to the city.

But I had a feeling I wasn't going to see Tonameca for a long time.

I put my bow and quiver aside and lay down on my bed, which had been cleared of any plants (and, hopefully, any insects).

I held up the pan flute. It didn't do anything, but it shone in the moonlight, like it was magic. Why did I hear those voices when I saw the Timberwolves? And what did that vision mean? Was I really meant to fight Celestia?

_No, that's insane_, I thought. It took me hours to sleep that night.

Note: Keep that pan flute in mind – it'll be very important in upcoming chapters. So will Tonatiuh's ability to speak to animals.


	6. Chapter 6: A Letter from the Princess

Chapter 5: A Letter from the Princess

**Hello everypony! **

**I know I said I would post chapters weekly, but I couldn't resist. The Tonamec and the Ponies haven't met yet – but they'll meet soon, and there will definitely be action. This chapter is in third-person again, but soon the story will all be told in first-person. **

**Note: I changed the plural form of **_**ch'ont'a **_**from **_**ch'ont'an**_** to **_**ch'ont'aya **_**(pronounced chon-tah-yah). **

**I also need some help with Tonatiuh's future love interest. I was originally going to have it be Applejack, but now I'm thinking about Rainbow. Who do you think it should be? **

**Finally, I forgot to mention – this story takes place in the late Season 1. **

**Alright, now here's the chapter…**

Princesses Celestia and Luna watched as the moon slowly lifted from the sun and disappeared.

"Sister," Princess Luna said, turning to Princess Celestia. "What was that?"

"No…" Princess Celestia murmured. She had an anxious look on her face. This made Princess Luna very uneasy. Her sister was never anxious. Never.

"I hope it's not what I think it is…" Princess Celestia said. They ran down the hall and to a group of Pegasus Guards who were stationed by the royal chariot.

"I need you to take us to Dragon Mountain," she said.

"Dragon Mountain?" one of the Pegasus guards said. "But, Your Highness –"

"I need you to take us to Dragon Mountain," she repeated, more forcefully this time. The guards didn't question her, and they harnessed themselves to the chariot. When the two princesses got in the chariot, the Pegasus Guards lifted off, carrying the princesses with them. In a short time, Dragon Mountain was in plain sight.

"There!" Princess Celestia shouted, pointing at a large cave – the same cave where Rarity and Spike saw the statues and the eclipse. "Land us right in front of that cave!"

The Guards obliged. Princess Celestia, with Princess Luna close behind raced to the cave, ignoring the Guards' cries of "Your Highnesses, where are you going?"

Princess Celestia's horn glowed, lighting the whole cave. They looked inside and gasped – the statues were no longer there. All that remained were a couple of nondescript shards of stone.

The Princess of the Sun was speechless for a time. "Impossible….there is no way!"

The Guards, hearing the Princesses, ran over and looked inside to see the stone fragments. "What is this?" one of them asked.

Princess Celestia unknowingly answered the guard's question. "This…is what I never thought would ever happen. _They_ have returned." She said the word _they_ darkly, as if _they_ were something dangerous.

"Who, sister?" Princess Luna asked.

"Some old foes of mine that I thought I had defeated long ago," was the grim response Luna got.

"What shall we do?" Princess Luna said.

"The same thing we do whenever trouble arises," Princess Celestia said simply. She and her sister got back into the chariot and ordered them to take them to Canterlot.

Ever since the day of the eclipse, there were strange occurrences in Ponyville, namely the Everfree Forest. For one thing, all of the trees were blooming Poison Joke flowers. Zecora had spent the last two hours making and giving out Poison Joke antidote. The animals in the Everfree Forest became bolder, prowling the edge of the Everfree Forest, almost as if they wanted to protect it. The Mane Six were exhausted from chasing back animals to the forest. In the past three days, there had been four Timberwolf attacks, two Ursa Minor attacks, three manticore attacks, and attacks by a particularly persistent swarm of Parasprites. But at least they were all still alive.

In fact, just then, Rainbow Dash was dive-bombing a manticore, which was making a mad dash to the forest. "And stay out!" Rainbow shouted, shaking her forehoof in the air as the manticore, now scared half to death, ran deeper into the forest. She glided back down. "Where do they keep coming from?" she asked.

"I know," Twilight said. "Most animals of the Everfree Forest don't go near Ponyville at all!"

"And what about those Poison Joke flowers?" Rarity asked, coming up. "They're everywhere!"

"They actually look kind of pretty from far away," came a small voice. Everypony turned to see Fluttershy trotting up to them.

"Yeah! I like 'em when they don't do crazy things to you!" a happy voice agreed. Everyone turned to see Pinkie hopping up and down.

"Well, something just ain't right," Applejack said.

"My friend Applejack, right you are," a voice said, "everything today has been extremely bizarre."

Everypony turned around to see a familiar zebra behind them. "Zecora!" they all said.

"Do you know something about the attacks and the flowers?" Twilight asked.

"No, my friend, I don't, I'm afraid," Zecora said. "I've never seen anything so strange until today."

"I just don't understand," Twilight said. "Poison Joke never grows like this. And the attacks – it's almost as if the animals don't want anyone to go into the Everfree Forest."

Just then, Spike came running out, waving around a baseball bat. "Where's that manticore?!" he shouted.

Rainbow was the first to speak. "Uh, I took care of him, Spike. No worries."

"Aw…" went the little dragon, lowering his bat. Suddenly, his eyes bugged out and his cheeks filled up with something. He opened his mouth and, in a flurry of green flames, came a scroll of pure white paper, tied with a seal embossed with an Omega sign – the sign of the royal family.

"A letter from the Princess!" Twilight breathed. She seized it with her magic. Opening it, she read the contents aloud:

_My faithful student Twilight Sparkle: _

_I have reason to believe Equestria is in danger. Some dangerous creatures have escaped and I need you and the Elements' help in finding them. Enclosed are seven train tickets to Canterlot. Please come as soon as possible. _

_From, Princess Celestia_

Twilight looked at her friends, including Spike and Zecora, who all had a mixture of surprise and worry on their faces. "Equestria's in trouble again?" Spike asked. "Why is this country so danger-prone? Wasn't Nightmare Moon enough? It's not even the end of the season yet!"

"Spike, what did I tell you about breaking the fourth wall like that?" Twilight said. She turned to the others and said, "Well, girls – and dragon – it looks like Equestria needs our help once again."

"Ooh! Ooh! I know!" Pinkie said, hopping up and down with her hoof in the air. "Princess Celestia wants us to help protect Equestria against an ancient tribe of weird-looking creatures who were turned to stone hundreds of years ago, but now have returned!"

No one knew what to say. "Well, uh…let's go!" Twilight said.

"Good luck, my friends!" Zecora said. "Your heroism will never end!" The six ponies and dragon were off to the train station.


	7. Chapter 7: The Mysterious Creatures

Chapter 6: The Mysterious Creatures

**Hello everypony! **

**Before I begin this chapter, here's a term that'll be used: **

**Gryphonia: Gryphonia is a neighboring kingdom ruled by the griffons (hence the name). I know, the name's a bit clichéd. **

**Alright, now here's the chapter…**

The train whistle gave a long, shrill toot as the train slowed to a stop.

Twilight looked out the window and saw Canterlot Castle. "We're here," she said.

The seven friends exited the train and ran to the castle. They found Princess Celestia there, pacing back and forth.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight said. "We came as fast as we could!"

"Thank you all," Princess Celestia said. "Come now. We have much to discuss."

The ponies and dragon followed the princess into the study. Princess Celestia's horn glowed. A book from a bookshelf near the far wall slid out and floated over until it was right in front of Twilight and her friends. The book was an unassuming dark brown, but it had a golden image of a unicorn's head on the cover.

Princess Celestia looked at Twilight. "I suppose you're wondering why I've summoned you here. I am going to show you something nopony has even seen for thousands of years." She used her magic to open the book onto a certain page.

The ponies and dragon gasped and recoiled from the image. It showed a strange, hairless, bipedal creature standing on its back legs. Its eyes were far smaller than a Pony's, and it had no discernable muzzle. It didn't have hooves, but instead each leg ended in five claw-like digits. It looked like some sort of ape-like creature.

"A Tonamec!" Applejack exclaimed.

"A _what_?" Rainbow asked.

"You know about the Tonamec?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Granny Smith told me all about 'em," Applejack said. "She told me so many stories that the very name's enough to give me nightmares. Granny said that them Tonamec used to raid Sweet Apple Acres when she was a filly. They nearly burned it to the ground once."

All seven of her friends gasped.

"I'm sure you all know about the founding of Equestria," Princess Celestia said. "The warring Ponies, the wendigos, and whatnot."

"Yes, Your Highness," Twilight replied.

"Well," Princess Celestia said, "there is actually more to that tale than what you learned."

"What do you mean?"

"When the Ponies arrived in what is now Equestria," Princess Celestia began, "they soon discovered that it was already inhabited by these." She pointed to the creature in the book. "These creatures called themselves the Tonamec." She pronounced the word _taw-nah-mek_. "These creatures, the Ponies soon found out were not simply animals, but sentient creatures that had lived in Equestria for thousands of years."

"But these creatures were brutal, savage, warlike, and uncivilized," Princess Celestia said darkly. "They were evil. They would attack ponies and burn down their houses. They raided towns at will – including Ponyville." Princess Celestia turned the page to reveal a mob of Tonamec chasing terrified Ponies and setting fire to houses. All of the ponies and dragon winced.

"Finally, I decided to stop these monsters," Princess Celestia said. "I issued an edict that said that the Ponies now owned the land and the Tonamec would have to leave to a reservation I set up in the Griffin Kingdom. But the Tonamec refused to go.

"So I sent the army to drive out the Tonamec. We knew the Tonamec had built a city or a village called Tonameca. This was their capital. I planned to herd all of the Tonamec into Tonameca and then destroy it.

"For a while, the plan seemed to work. Soon, many Tonamec villages were they destroyed. The army then set out to find and destroy Tonameca.

"But a unicorn named Galaxy betrayed me. She was one of the first settlers and the most trusted apprentice of Starswirl the Bearded. She told the Tonamec the army was coming. The Tonamec rallied their troops and attacked. The Tonamec were stubbornly persistent and very strong, but we were able to defeat them easily.

"The Ponies followed the Tonamec army, but they got ahead. We were about to launch our attack on Tonameca when Galaxy stole the map to Tonameca and escaped.

"But still I searched for the Tonamec. I finally found them in a cave. It looked like they had been there for several days. I gave the Tonamec one final chance to surrender and leave Equestria forever. But the Tonamec still refused.

"I was left with no choice. I used the Elements to turn the Tonamec into stone, so they would never threaten Equestria or the Ponies ever again.

"The spell was supposed to be permanent. But…" She used her magic and levitated a stone tablet in front of her. It had strange hieroglyphs written on it.

"These are parts of a tablet found in a Tonamec temple," Princess Celestia explained. "Normally I would destroy it, but it held a prophecy – what is strange is that it seemed to foretell the Tonamec being turned to stone...and it also tells of their release. It says that when the sun and moon meet, the Tonamec will escape. It also says that one of the Tonamec – a 'Chosen One' – will fight me."

The six ponies and dragon gasped again.

"I believe I know who this Chosen One is," Princess Celestia said. She flipped a couple pages until an image of a Tonamec boy about the Mane Six's age. He was about the Mane Six's age. He had tan skin and short, sleek black hair. He was wearing a red tunic and had a bow and a quiver of arrows slung on his back. Applejack noticed that he had piercing green eyes, like hers.

"This is Prince Tonatiuh," Princess Celestia said, pointing to the figure and pronouncing _Tonatiuh_ as _taw-nah-tyoh_. "He is the son of Emperor Tezozomoc and the heir to the throne." She closed the book. "There's also mention of a 'Seventh,' but I have no idea what that might be."

She put the tablet away. "I dismissed it," Princess Celestia murmured. "I should've taken it seriously, but I thought the Tonamec were gone forever…until now. After the eclipse, Luna and I went to Dragon Mountain, to the cave where the Tonamec were. There was nothing there, except for some shattered pieces of stone."

"Hold on!" Rarity suddenly said, startling everyone. Then, she looked at the princess. "Oh…sorry…"

"No, no, it's fine," Princess Celestia said. "You were saying?"

"A couple of days ago, Spike and I were looking for gems for my dresses," Rarity said. "We came across this cave with all these strange statues. Then, we saw the eclipse, as you called it, and all of a sudden these statues began to crack and glow. We both ran back to Ponyville as quickly as we could."

The princess looked very somber. "Then there's no other explanation. The Tonamec have escaped. We wanted to tell you in case the Tonamec try to attack Ponyville again. We have summoned somepony to help defend Ponyville and find Tonatiuh." She looked at a guard. "Send General Daystar in."

Soon, a griffon strode in. He was pale, but muscular. He had matted brown feathers on his head and tawny fur on his body. His eyes were blue, but not warm at all – they were distant and icy. "This is General Daystar from the Kingdom of Gryphonia," Princess Celestia said. "He will send a brigade of troops to guard Ponyville, and he will also lead a battalion to find Tonatiuh."

"My soldiers and I shall do whatever we can to help," General Daystar said quietly in a raspy voice. "No one escapes me." None of the Mane Six could tell, but there was something about this General Daystar they just didn't like.

"I also want to give you this book," Princess Celestia said as she levitated the book towards her. "It is a complete history of Equestria, including the Tonamec."

"Thank you," Twilight said, taking the book.

"We'll be putting the Royal Guard on high alert," Princess Celestia said. "If you see anything suspicious, alert us immediately."

"Thank you, Your Highnesses. You can count on us." Twilight said. She and her friends bowed deeply before departing.

On the second they entered the train to go home, Pinkie Pie shouted, "Ha! I knew it!"

**Well, Tonatiuh and friends, things are not looking good for you – now both Celestia and the Elements are out to get you – and what's the deal with that creepy General Daystar? And what's the Seventh? **


	8. Chapter 8: Venturing Outside

Chapter 7: Venturing Outside

**Hey everypony! **

**The guest: Sorry I didn't get to you on your last post. Yes, using weapons with Poison Joke on them against Royal Guards would result in a lot of chaos – and perhaps some gender switching. But the ponies' magic, especially the Princesses' and the Elements', would definitely pose a threat to the Tonamec. Also, Spike breaking the fourth wall wasn't in the original story – I thought of it at the last minute. Finally, you were right about conflict in the future…**

**Klammzy and StarryKite: Applejack it is!**

**This chapter will be told from Tonatiuh's point of view again. And, I promise, after this chapter, the Ponies and Tonamec will meet (finally).**

**Note: The Tonamec believed in the Elements of Harmony before the Ponies arrived. But they didn't have a concept for magic, so they called it Spirit. **

**Alright, now on with the next chapter – **

I woke up to someone shaking my shoulder, and someone calling, "_Tonatiuh. Tonatiuh, wake up!_" I turned my head and, through my blurry vision, saw the face of Mazal over me.

"_Mazal?_" I said, my voice slurring. "_It's the middle of the night. What are you doing awake?_"

"_I heard Dad and some people talking in the throne room,_" she said. "_I think they're having a Gathering._" I widened my eyes. A Gathering is a council of the king – my father – and his advisors and generals. A Gathering was never called unless something very serious was going on. I had no doubt it had something to do with the Ponies.

"_I'd wager they're talking about the ch'ont'aya in there._" She sneered as she said the word _ch'ont'aya_. "_Aren't you wondering what they're saying?_"

"_If Dad is having a Gathering in the middle of night,_" I said, "_he obviously doesn't want us to hear it._"

"_That's why we should hear it,_" she said. Before I could respond, she tore off and ran to the palace. I sighed. I could just stay here. Then I thought I should probably look after my sister in case she causes any trouble – which I knew would happen. I ran after her and found her huddling in a corner besides the entrance to the throne room.

She looked at me and motioned me to come forward. I got next to her, and I was just about to tell her that we should go when a familiar voice stopped my thinking.

"_I do not think this is prudent at all._" I knew that voice anywhere – Camayo. "_Your Highness, we shouldn't attack them so soon._"

"_They took our land from us,_" a voice that I distinctly knew was my father's said.

"_Destroyed our villages,_" another voice said.

"_Slaughtered our people,_" another said.

"_Turned us to stone, by Tawa!_" the strong voice of Machakwe said.

"_You would know better than to invoke the Great Sun's name in vain, Machakwe,_" Camayo admonished. "_The Ponies defeated us once. They can do it again. I believe we should stay here, where we are safe._"

"_And live in fear of being discovered and destroyed?_" Machakwe said back.

"_We were, and still are, a great people,_" my father said. "_We will not be cowed down by these animals. They already took my wife._"

"_By choosing not to attack, we would be wise, not cowed down,_" Camayo countered. "_And even if we did attack the Ponies, they have magic and flight, neither of which we have. They would defeat us and turn us to stone again._"

"_Which is why I talked about the Elements,_" Machakwe said.

"_That again?_" Camayo said. "_Machakwe, this is madness._"

"_It is the only way the Tonamec will survive,_" Machakwe pressed. "_The Elements are the source of the ch'ont'aya's power. If we find the Elements and destroy them, the ch'ont'aya's magic will be gone._"

"_You can't just destroy the Elements,_" Camayo said. "_They are primordial forces that have existed since the beginning of time, long before Tawa created us. And the Elements are not evil – we used to venerate them before the Ponies arrived._"

"_We cannot just stay here and do nothing,_" my father said. "_Something must be done about these ch'ont'aya._" He sighed. "_Meeting adjourned until later. Thank you all._" The councilmen started to walk toward the door – which happened to be right where we were.

Mazal looked at me with a panicked expression on her face. "_Let's get out of here!_" Hunched over, we crawled away from the door and somehow got away without anyone noticing, thank Tawa.

I ran to my room and hastily got in bed.

I thought about what my father had said. I knew what the Elements were – Camayo said they were once called the Traits of Virtue – certain traits that every Tonamec must have. They were Honesty, Loyalty, Laughter, Kindness, Generosity, and Spirit. They were free and everywhere before the Ponies arrived and put them in jewels. They became the most powerful magic in the world…but they were turned into weapons.

I tried to go to sleep.

I slowly woke up. The morning sun poured through the window, which should have been cheerful. The cracks I saw on the walls, the half-erased murals, and the dust in the air was still there. It was silent – no – I heard something – voices down the hall.

I got out of bed and went over – maybe because of what I heard last night.

"– _all of it is gone!_" I heard. I instantly recognized the voice – Dad. "_All of our food supplies are gone. Just jugs full of rot now._"

"_I still don't understand how it happened,_" another voice said – that was Camayo. "_We always store our surplus food. It should have kept for years._"

What – all of the food supplies in the city were gone? But how?

"_Your Highness,_" Camayo continued, "_this may seem insane, but could it be that we were in stone for –_"

"_We can worry about how long we were in stone later,_" my father interrupted. "_What we need to worry about right now is food. We still have seeds – we can plant them._"

"_But how long would it take for them to grow?_"

"_What else can we do, Camayo? Our people will starve!_" My father sounded really upset.

There was a long pause before Camayo said, "_We have no choice then but to search for food._"

"_Where?_" my father asked impatiently.

"_Outside the city._" I could feel everything in the house go silent.

My father broke the silence. "_But…Camayo, the ch'ont'aya –_"

"_I know, your highness,_" Camayo said. "_But there is no food here. We have to._"

My father sighed. "_Alright. I'll send a group of soldiers to go and find any food – and seeds – they can._" I knew it was dangerous. There would be a very good chance they would run into a Pony, and the Ponies wouldn't be happy if they saw Tonamec.

I thought he was going to leave when my father suddenly turned and said, "_And Tonatiuh? You can come out now._"

I rose and walked toward him. "_Sorry, Dad._"

"_I knew that you and you sister were eavesdropping on the Gathering last night._" He smiled. "_You shouldn't be worried about what you heard. I will handle everything._"

I left the room and saw Mazal casually strolling by. "_Mazal,_" I called out.

She turned and said, "_Yes, Tonatiuh?_" I told her about all the food in the city being gone. Mazal widened her eyes. "_No. All of our food, gone?_"

"_Yes,_" I said. "_My father is sending soldiers out of the city to find food._"

"_They're going outside the city?_"

I nodded. Mazal looked at me – something in her eyes sent cold shivers down my spine – like she was planning something.

Later that day, I watched as a group of thirty warriors were about to enter the cave and exit the city. A huge crowd had gathered. I saw some warriors making arrow heads and spear points by chipping away flint with some antlers. Another group put the arrow heads and spear points in a vat full of blue liquid with Poison Joke flowers floating in it, and then tied the points onto their shafts.

"_Are you sure you want to go?_" my dad asked Machakwe. "_You don't need to._"

"_I have fought ch'ont'aya before,_" was all Machakwe said to him. Then, Machakwe turned to the rest of the soldiers. "_Alright, men – remember, our mission is to find as much food as we can to deliver back to Tonameca. Any ch'ont'a we find, we kill. Understood?_"

I gulped. I knew Machakwe was serious when he said they would kill any Pony they saw.

Then, the soldiers marched into the cave.

I felt like I should do something to help, but I couldn't go outside the city. After I returned to the Palace, I went to the arena to clear my head. The arena was used for warrior training, and it was filled with arrow targets and training dummies.

The targets were shaped like snakes' heads. You were supposed to shoot at arrow directly into the snake's mouth. I took off my bow, nocked an arrow, and fired. It landed straight between the lips of the snake. After shooting a few more arrows, I expected Mazal to come in at any moment – she loves to train in the arena.

But she didn't come. I decided to stop and left the arena. I looked around the palace, but I couldn't find Mazal anywhere.

I didn't understand. Usually Mazal is walking about the palace, learning to cook and weave from the elders (she hates both cooking and weaving – probably because she can't do either), or in the arena, beating the stuffing out of training dummies. I felt a sense of dread form a ball in my stomach.

I found my father on the porch, gazing out into the still-ruined city.

"_Dad?_" I asked. "_Have you seen Mazal?_"

"_No,_" he said. "_I haven't seen her since this morning._"

We looked into each other's eyes. I could tell by the look on his face that something was terribly wrong.

We raced down the hallway, shouting out, "_Mazal! Mazal! Where are you?!_", ignoring the bewildered looks of passing servants.

We stopped at Mazal's room, which was eerily silent. We barged in and saw that…no one was there. I noticed that on Mazal's bed, there was a folded up piece of paper.

"_Dad, look,_" I said, pointing to the paper. I immediately grabbed it and unfolded it.

It was the worst kind of note – the really short kind that bluntly tells you something horrible in just a few sentences:

_Dear Tonatiuh and Dad: _

_I've gone with Machakwe and the other soldiers to look for food. I want to help them for my city and my people. Don't worry and don't come looking for me, I'll be fine. I'll be sure to kill some ch'ont'aya for you._

_From, Mazal _

I tried to grasp what I just read. Mazal out of the city? Is she insane? My dad and I couldn't say a thing. But we looked at each other and knew – someone had to go after her.

We immediately ran to tell Camayo about my sister's disappearance. I saw some soldiers run after us, but my father gave them no heed. We found Camayo in the Great Temple, reading a scroll.

He looked up at us. "_Your Highnesses, welcome._" He noticed the expressions on our faces and said, "_Is something wrong?_"

"_I sent warriors out to look for food,_" my father said. "_But Mazal has run off with them._"

I saw the warriors' and Camayo's eyes widen in shock. "_What?_ _Mazal has run away?_" Camayo said.

"_What do we do?_" I asked him. "_What if she doesn't find Machakwe and the others? She'll get herself killed!_"

"_I'll look for her myself!_" my father said. He whirled on an unsuspecting warrior and said, "_Sound the alarm! Bring me my armor! Get me my finest warriors!_"

I was too busy thinking about Mazal. Why would she just take off like that? Didn't she know how dangerous it was out there? We had to rescue her, but how?

Then, I came up with the rashest and most insane idea.

I ran out of the room, grabbed my bow and arrows, and dashed of the palace, across the plaza, and straight into the cave.


	9. Chapter 9: An Injured Pony

Chapter 8: An Injured Pony

**Hello everypony! **

**The guest: Thank you :) **

**Before I start the story, here's the pronunciation for another Tonamec character's name: **

**Chaska: chahs-kah**

**Alright, now that that's over, here's the next chapter – **

As soon as the waterfall was brought back together again, I found myself back in the Everfree Forest. Except for the calls of a few birds, the forest was silent.

I began to look for anything that might lead me to Mazal. I looked on the ground and saw gentle imprints of feet – and lots of them – heading deeper into the forest. I began to follow them, making my footsteps as quiet as possible.

I followed the footprints for what seemed like hours. Slowly at first, the tracks began to disappear. No sign of Mazal was anywhere.

"_What do I do now?_" I thought about calling for Mazal, but that could attract a Pony instead.

Then, something strange happened – I saw green light from below my chin. I looked down and saw that my xokak was _glowing_ with green light. Then, I saw a woman come out of the bushes. What was strange is that she didn't make a sound – the bushes she came out of didn't even move.

She had long black hair and tan skin. She wore a long deerskin dress that reached just above her ankles. Her eyes sparkled in the sunlight. The only thing unsettling about her was that she didn't seem…solid. I could make out the outline of the trees behind him if I looked closely. It was like she was a ghost.

She looked almost…familiar somehow, but I had never seen her before…had I?

She brought out her hand and motioned me forward. "_Follow me, Tonatiuh,_" she said. "_I'll show you to your sister."_ Her voice was hollow, and it echoed through the forest. It wasn't human. And yet…somehow I didn't feel afraid at all – in fact, I felt this warm feeling around me. The woman turned and ran off.

"_Wait!_" I said, running after her. We ran on through the forest, until we finally stopped at a small clearing. She looked at me.

"_Who are you?_" I asked. "_How do you know my name? And my sister?_" She didn't answer, but only smiled.

There was a pause before I asked, "_Xal xonte yil?_" Are you a Spirit? Then, as if to answer my question, she vanished, her body just dissipating into the air.

She was a Spirit. She had to be. But who was she?

Then, I heard a rustle. I whipped around, but nothing was there. I flung my bow off and put at arrow to it. The rustle sounded again. Then, all of a sudden, I heard something whizz through the air. I ducked out of the way before something hit the tree behind me. I looked up and saw an arrow impaled in the tree's trunk.

I quickly grabbed up my fallen bow and arrow and said, "_Who's there?_"

Then, someone said, a familiar voice, "_Tonatiuh?_" Someone came out of the bushes, and I saw the one and only Mazal with a bow in her hand and a quiver on her back.

She put back her bow and arrow, but her expression quickly became sour. "_What are you doing here?_" she demanded.

"_I came looking for you!_" I said back. "_Come on, let's get back to Tonameca before Dad sends out the whole army._"

"_But I want to help!_" Mazal said. "_We're going to be the rulers of our people one day. Don't you think we should help them?_"

"_I do,_" I said, "_but we're not warriors. Come on, Machakwe and the others will take care of getting food._" I thought about telling Mazal about the spirit woman that led me here, but before I could, I heard loud barking, like a pack of wolves. Mazal whipped her head around and ran off.

"_Mazal, come back!_" I ran after her. I heard a long, shrill scream that sounded like a child. I parted a bush and just caught, out of the corner of my eye, a couple of large animals bound into the bushes. I saw Mazal in the clearing, looking out.

The scent of rotting tree sap hung in the air. _Timberwolves_, I thought. I turned my head and saw something lying on the ground, in front of a tree. I wouldn't have paid any attention to it – except that it was breathing. I slowly came closer and knelt down. I brought my head in and then shot back.

"_Pony!_" I said, but my voice came out as a harsh whisper. "_Mazal, Mazal!_"

"_What is it?_" she asked, running over. She looked at the downed pony and recoiled. "_That's a ch'ont'a!_"

"_I think it's hurt,_" The pony looked feminine – I would have called her a mare, except she was smaller and looked younger than ponies I had seen. She was a filly. She was lying on the ground, and, even though I saw its stomach rise and fall, it wasn't moving. She had a yellow coat and a red mane and tail. A pink bow decorated the filly's mane. She looked like she had hit the tree before hitting the ground – I grimaced.

I looked over her body, and, apart from a few scrapes and bruises, I didn't see any severe injuries. Why would a young pony be wandering around the forest?

"_Come on,_" Mazal said. "_Let's get out of here before that wakes up._"

"_Mazal, wait,_" I said. "_We can't just leave her out here. She'll die. And look, she's just a child._"

Mazal stopped and looked like she was thinking. Then she growled and said, "_Fine. What do we do?_"

I carefully picked the filly up – she was lighter than I'd expected. "_She doesn't look really injured,_" I said. "_If we just leave her to rest and wait, she'll wake up –_"

Then, suddenly, five figures erupted from the bushes, brandishing spears and bows and arrows. I started before I realized one of those figures as Machakwe. He and another warrior were carrying a large branch with the dead body of a manticore tied to it. The rest of the warriors held baskets filled with wild berries and roots.

"_Your Highnesses?_" Machakwe said. All five warriors immediately knelt and lowered their heads.

I felt myself blush. "_Rise,_" I managed to say.

Machakwe said, "_Forgive us for almost attacking you. Are you alright?_" he asked. He took one look at the filly and caught his breath. All of the warriors stood back. "_What in Tawa –_"

"_Wait!_" I said. "_She's just a child, and she's hurt._"

"_Your Highnesses, why are you here?_" Machakwe asked. "_And why do you have a ch'ont'a with you?_" I told them how Mazal ran away and I came after her. I could tell all of them were surprised.

"_Your Highnesses, it is not safe here,_" Machakwe said. He turned to a warrior and said, "_Chaska, escort the prince and princess back to Tonameca._" He turned back to us. "_We'll take care of…that._" He gestured towards the filly.

Then, I remembered what Machakwe had said back in Tonameca. "_You're not going to kill her, are you?_"

Machakwe looked at me like he couldn't believe what I just said. "_No – it's against the Code of Warriors to kill a child. Even that kind of child._"

Just then, I heard a soft rustle. We hid behind some trees. The warriors set down their baskets and the branch with the dead manticore, and brought out their bows and spears. I carefully put the pony down. The rustling had stopped, but then I heard footsteps – no, not footsteps. It was a rhythmic, clopping noise, which could have only meant one thing…

"_Pony…_" I whispered. I carefully looked out. I saw the pony right there, only about a couple feet from us.

I could tell by the pony's body that she was a mare. She had an orange coat and a long blonde mane and tail that were tied back. She looked toward the bush where we were hiding – I swear she was looking right at me – and I saw she had piercing, bright green eyes, like a cat's. She had a symbol of three apples on her hip – I thought the ponies call them "Cutie Marks."

"_No one make a sound…_" Machakwe whispered.

"Applebloom!" I heard the orange mare shout. "Where are you? Applebloom!" I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from gasping. That Pony didn't speak Tonamec, but I understood her – every word she said.

I heard a groan. I looked back and saw the filly start to wake up. "A-Applejack?" she said in a shaky voice. She looked right into my eyes – and then screamed.

The orange mare whipped her head around and shot for the trees we were hiding in. She looked right at us and gasped. When she looked at the filly, she shouted, "What did you do to my little sister?!"

She looked at me in the eye, turned around, reared up on her front legs, and kicked hard with her back legs. I remember all the air being pushed out of my lungs as I was thrown back. I landed in the ground.

"_Tonatiuh!_" I heard. I saw Mazal looking down at me. "_Are you alright?_"

"_I'm fine,_" I said. When I got up, my vision was blurry, but I was able to see the mare running off with the filly, amid a shower of arrows.

Just then, two other ponies ran up. The first was an Earth Pony. He had a larger build, so I thought he was male – a stallion. He had a red coat and a light orange mane and tail. Like the first pony, he also had green eyes.

The second was another mare. She had a lavender coat and a dark blue, pink, and purple mane and tail. She had a horn spiraling out of her forehead, so she was a unicorn – which meant she could use magic.

"Applejack!" they shouted.

(Warning: fight scene)

Machakwe and the other warriors charged the two ponies. Mazal brought out her bow and nocked an arrow.

"It's Tonatiuh!" the unicorn said. They know my name? I got up and tried to shake off my daze.

I saw one warrior try to stab his spear into the stallion's side, but the stallion gripped the spear with his mouth and snapped off the spear tip. The unicorn's horn was glowing, blasting balls of light at any upcoming warriors.

I saw one of the warriors try to chase after the orange mare, but the unicorn fired a ball of magic, which hit him right in the back. He was thrown violently to the ground. I only knew he wasn't dead because he was trying to get up. Some other warriors ran to his aid.

Mazal fired an arrow at the unicorn, but the unicorn's horn glowed, and the arrow ricocheted back from the air above the unicorn into a tree.

I saw the stallion charge at us, his head lowered. I saw Mazal fire more arrows, but the stallion dodged them. Suddenly, my xokak glowed again. The stallion stopped in his tracks and stumbled. The spirit woman from before (_That's what I'll call her, Spirit Woman_, I thought) appeared, only this time with a bow and a quiver of arrows. In a second, she nocked an arrow and aimed for the stallion.

"_Wait, don't shoot!_" I shouted. Spirit Woman lowered her bow and looked like she didn't know what to do.

Suddenly, a shriek pierced the air. I felt a gust of air whip by me, and something gashed my left arm. There was a sharp pain as I gripped my arm, feeling something warm and wet on my hand.

"_Tonatiuh!_" I heard Mazal call out. Spirit Woman tensed in rage, but then visibly sagged, an angry expression in her eyes. I saw Mazal's bow and arrow on the ground.

I turned and saw a large black-feathered creature come down – _A griffon,_ I thought. My father told me that once griffons tried to invade Tonameca. I only knew them from murals and books – I had never seen a live one before.

The griffon turned its head and shouted, "Soldiers, attack!" Hundreds of Pony soldiers erupted from the forest.

I could never describe what happened after that. I lost sight of Mazal, the warriors, and Spirit Woman. The ponies kicked up so much dust I couldn't see. All I heard were warriors barking out orders, the whizzes of arrows through the air, and war whoops with the thunder of hooves and the humming of magic.

"_Tonatiuh, where are you?_" I heard Mazal's voice call out.

"_Mazal!_" I felt something snap shut around my arms. When I got out of my daze, I saw my arms had been tied to my sides. I tried to struggle, but I couldn't break the ropes. More ropes came, binding my knees and my ankles, forcing me to topple over.

"_Tonatiuh!_" Mazal's voice called out again.

"_Your Highness!_" one of the warriors said. My shouts were lost in the chaos. I was dragged away.

(Fight scene over)

I struggled again – and still it was of no use. I couldn't break the ropes. The ponies continued to drag me along. Where were they taking me?

I looked at my wounded arm and saw three bloody gashes. I winced.

The ponies finally stopped in a large, grassy plain, surrounded by the forest. The only ones with me were the orange Earth pony, the stallion, the unicorn, and the griffon. The orange Earth pony tied the ropes binding me to a tree.

"How'd you find it, Applejack?" the unicorn asked.

"Well, Twilight," the mare, whose name was Applejack, said, "I went into my house after my applebuckin' was done, but then I noticed Applebloom wasn't anywhere! I went out into the Everfree Forest to look for her, and I found a bunch of Tonamec with my sister – she was all beat up and scratched! I took her back to the house, and she told me she was on her way to visit Zecora."

Did they think we hurt that filly? "_No, we didn't hurt her!_" I said. They looked at me bewilderedly. They couldn't understand me – of course they couldn't.

"It's a good thing my soldiers and I came," the griffon said.

"We have to tell Princess Celestia," the unicorn, whose name was Twilight, said. No…Princess Celestia? In a flash of purple light, Twilight disappeared. I lurched forward, but the ropes held me back. The sting of the gashes on my arms made me grit my teeth. I saw the griffon give me an amused look.

Soon, Twilight returned in another blast of light, just when a gigantic shadow flew over. I looked up and saw a chariot pulled by Pegasus Guards. The chariot was golden, sparkling in the sunlight. It had a cage attached to it – for me. The chariot landed, and one of the pegasi unhooked himself from the chariot and said, "Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and General Daystar, correct?"

"Yes, that's us," Twilight said. He walked towards me. I tried to struggle one last time, but still I couldn't break the ropes. I was powerless.

The guard produced a long rod. He put the rod to his mouth and blew once. Something flew out from the rod and into my arm. I felt a light pain, as if someone stabbed me with a needle.

Almost immediately I began to felt drowsy. Everything blurred and faded around me into gray. I tried to stay awake, but I felt like some force was dragging me into sleep.

Then, everything went black, and I knew no more.


	10. Chapter 10: The Princess of the Sun

Chapter 9: The Princess of the Sun

**Hey everypony!**

**The guest: The Tonamec and I appreciate your support :)**

**Guest: Thank you very much :)**

**Note: I've revised Chapters 5, 7, and 9 because of a story issue. I was originally going to have the unicorn who put the cloaking spell on Tonameca be Clover the Clever, but then I realized that in order for her to be friends with Camayo, she would have be more than eight hundred years old. I can accept Granny Smith possibly being hundreds of years old, but an over-eight-hundred-year old unicorn who apparently has no difficulties with magic is a bit farfetched. So, I've decided to replace Clover the Clever with another unicorn.**

**I also made some more real Tonamec dialogue – the English translation will follow after the speaker tag, underlined. If anyone wants a breakdown of a Tonamec sentence, just send me a review.**

**Alright, now here's the chapter –**

I woke up somewhere dark. I tried to get up, but I was still a little disoriented. When I could stand, I looked around and saw light ahead…and some bars. Where was I?

Then, I noticed – my bow and quiver were gone. The ponies must've taken them.

I looked around. There was a mass of hay in a corner of the wall, which I guessed was supposed to be a bed. There was a large pot in a corner of the room, but it smelled putrid, like something died in it.

A stinging pain in my arm stopped my thinking. The gashes were still bleeding and red.

I peered out and saw that I was in what looked like a dungeon. It was really dark – the only light I had was from lanterns that flickered on the walls. It was dank and smelled. I heard pattering on the stone floor that sounded suspiciously like rats.

I was a prisoner.

I pushed on the metal bars, but they didn't move. "_Nin nawal ken?_" I whispered to myself. What am I going to do now?

I heard hoofsteps coming my way. I looked out and saw three armored unicorn stallions with spears walking towards me. They looked right at me. The horn of one of the guards began to glow. I closed my eyes…but nothing happened. "What?" the guard exclaimed. "I can't use my magic on it!"

"We can still get it out," another guard said. His horn glowed, and the door opened with a grinding creak. He leveled his spear at me, levitating a rope in the air.

I tried to back away, but the guard whacked his spear at my shins, sending me sprawling on the floor. He put my hands in front of me, and then whipped the rope around my wrists, leaving some rope hanging. He grabbed the hanging rope with his mouth and pulled up, forcing me to stand. I was tugged out.

I couldn't break the rope binding my wrists. I would have to get past these guards, and there would likely be more of them – and I was unarmed. I had no choice but to let them pull me along. I saw the cells and the dark, torch-lit walls of the dungeon pass by. I was led up a staircase, which led to a large hall.

The room was beautiful, even if I was prisoner in it. The walls were clear white, almost shimmering. Tapestries and paintings decorated the walls. Banners of different colors decorated the ceiling. There were large stained glass windows on the walls, casting multicolored light into the room. For a minute, I swore I saw the orange Earth pony and the purple unicorn – Applejack and Twilight – on one of those windows.

I looked at one painting – and I caught my breath. One of the ponies in the painting was Celestia – the Alicorn Princess of the Ponies, and the one that turned me, my dad, my sister, and the entire Tonamec tribe to stone.

But the other pony I didn't know. It was another mare, and she was smaller than Celestia. She had a dark blue coat and a blue mane and tail that also swayed in the air. She wore a black tiara and a black necklace, which had a moon on it. Her flank bore a crescent moon surrounded by night.

Just then, I saw a huge set of ornate double-doors. The three unicorns' horns glowed again. The doors glowed with blue light, and then swung open. I was pulled in.

This room was enormous. It had purple walls with more stained glass windows. The ceiling was held up by pure white pillars. There was a long, red carpet that led to – I almost screamed.

It was Celestia, sitting right in front of me, her mane and tail swaying in the air even though there was no wind, like they were alive. I knew this wasn't a dream. There were a large group of Pegasus Guards with gleaming golden armor and spears. They glowered at me like they wanted to kill me right then. I also saw the six Ponies and the young dragon near the alicorn. Two of them were Applejack and Twilight – the ponies back on the farm. But the other four ponies, and the dragon, I didn't recognize.

One of them was a white unicorn with a curly purple mane and tail. Another was a blue Pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane and tail. Another was a yellow Pegasus with a long pink mane and tail. The last was a pink Earth Pony with a curly dark pink mane and tail. The dragon was small, a baby by the looks of it. He was purple and had green spines lining his back and the back of his head.

The only one I didn't see was the black-feathered griffon.

Celestia regarded me coldly. "So it's true," she said. "The Tonamec really have returned."

"_Olmach ken_?" What's going on? I thought.

Celestia's horn glowed. She opened her mouth, and spoke in perfect Tonamec. "_Prince Tonatiuh._" I flinched when she said my name. She could use her magic to talk in Tonamec, which I thought was very disturbing.

"_I see you remember me,_" she said. Her horn stopped glowing, and then she said, back in her language, "Alright, enough stalling." Her horn glowed, and a chest near her throne opened. It revealed five golden necklaces and a tiara. They each had a differently colored and shaped jewel. I would have dismissed them if the tiara didn't have a six-pointed star-shaped jewel. It hit me like a rock.

They were the Elements – I just knew they were. Five of them didn't look like how I remembered, but the star-shaped jewel was still there. They were the last things I saw when I was turned to stone. Celestia's horn levitated the Elements to the six ponies. Five of the Elements clasped onto five of the ponies' necks, and the tiara landed deftly on Twilight's head.

I was horrified. They were going to turn me to stone again. It was obvious, but that didn't help anything.

No. I wouldn't let them turn me or any other Tonamec to stone.

"Wait," a timid voice coming from the yellow Pegasus said. "Are you sure we should do this?"

"Fluttershy, we have to," Twilight said.

"But – but that poor thing looks so scared," the yellow Pegasus named Fluttershy said.

"Well, it should darn well be!" Applejack exclaimed, pawing the ground with her hoof.

I racked my head for how I could escape. The doors behind me were obviously locked. I looked behind me and saw a long hallway with many doors. But what about the guards?

Twilight's horn and the jewel on her head glowed – I didn't have time to think anymore.

I struggled against the ropes binding my wrists. The ropes pressed into my skin until it hurt. I looked at the spear one of the guards near me was holding – and I had an idea.

I slammed the side of my body into the guard, sending him sprawling. I grabbed his spear and started to run. I heard the six ponies and Celestia gasp, but I was already sprinting for the hallway.

"It's escaping, stop it!" a gruff voice said. I heard the thunder of hooves and the ringing of magic behind me. I rubbed the ropes as quickly as I could against the spear tip until the ropes finally came undone. Suddenly, my _xokak_ glowed again. A door opened…and I saw someone very familiar in the doorway.

"_Galaxy?_" I said out loud. Galaxy started gesturing wildly with her hooves to come inside. I ran in and shut the door behind me.

It looked like a bedroom. The air was strangely intoxicating, smelling faintly of flowers and something sweet. Lanterns hung on the ceiling. More stained glass windows cast pale blue light into the room. Another set of doors were ajar, leading to a balcony. A large bed sat at the left, partly hidden by some drapes. Beside the bed, I saw my bow and quiver.

Galaxy ran towards me. "_Your Highness, are you alright?_" she asked.

It took a few seconds to answer. "_I'm fine,_" I said. Galaxy still looked the same – she still had her pink and purple coat and her striped mane – but she was also translucent, like Spirit Woman, and her voice also sounded hollow. Could she be…?

"_Galaxy…are you a –_" I began, but Galaxy finished for me.

"_Spirit?_" she said, her voice echoing throughout the room. "_Yes, Your Highness, I am._"

"_But…if you're dead_–" Just then, the door swung open.

"There it is!" one of the guards said.

Galaxy gave me a look that clearly said, "Run." There was so much I wanted to ask her about what happened when I was stone – but she was right. I looked back at the balcony. All of a sudden, I knew what to do.

I surged forward and took my bow and quiver. Then, Iran over to the balcony, grabbed the balcony railing with my left hand, and flung my legs over, throwing myself out. I fell into a large bush that thankfully had no thorns. I was about to rush forward when I saw two Pegasus Guards marching in front of me. I shot back into the bush.

I had to get to out of here. But how?

Then, I heard voices from ahead. My bow and the strap of my quiver in hand, I crawled through the bush toward the voices and pried apart the leaves to make a small hole.

It was Celestia and the six ponies with the Elements, and also a unicorn with a tan coat and a light brown mane. The only one I didn't see was that black-feathered griffon. The ponies were all staring down beyond a rocky ledge. They all looked very upset.

"No, Ponyville!" Twilight said.

Celestia whirled on the tan unicorn. "Kibitz, send for me my armor! Gather all of the Royal Guard!" All of the ponies ran off. What did they see?

I heard something fluttering above me. I felt something grab the back of my tunic and hoist me up. I whirled around, expecting to see a pony guard – bit instead, I saw a large bird with bright red and yellow feathers.

_A phoenix,_ I thought. I looked down at my phoenix_xokak_, and then back at the bird right in front of me. All of a sudden, I heard a feminine voice in my head: _Come with me, quickly._

"_Who said that?_" I asked aloud.

The phoenix looked right into my eyes. _I did._

I stared at the phoenix. "_Are you talking to me?_" I said. I knew it was ridiculous.

_Yes, I am._

I almost couldn't believe what I was hearing. "_But how?_"

_I'm sorry, but I can't explain. Come on!_The phoenix flew off. I don't know why, but something made me want to follow the phoenix. I saw no more guards, so I ran after the phoenix, trying to slip on my quiver and bow.

The phoenix led me under a tower by the rocky ledge where Celestia and the ponies with the Elements were before. The phoenix disappeared around the tower.

Then, I heard a voice say, "Thank thee, Philomena." What I saw next almost stopped my heart – I saw another alicorn – the same alicorn in the painting. The phoenix was hovering beside her.

Her horn glowed. I tensed and prepared to run.

"_Wait!_" the alicorn said, in perfect Tonamec. "_I don't want to harm you._" She looked at my wounded arm. She gasped and said, "_What happened to your arm? Let me heal those wounds._" Something about her made me think she was truthful.

She stepped forward and put her horn on the gash wounds. I felt sensations of hot and cold rush over them, and when I looked back, the wounds were gone – there weren't even scars. Why was she helping me? "_Thank you,_" was all could think of to say.

The alicorn looked around, like she was trying to make sure no one was hearing us. She looked at me. "_Why are your people attacking Ponyville?_" she asked bluntly.

"_What?_" I said. The alicorn pointed down the rocky ledge. I looked over, and I stumbled back at what I saw.

It was a large village, and I recognized it instantly as Ponyville. Ponyville was one of the oldest Pony settlements – and often the target of raids and attacks. Now, the entire town was in chaos. I saw houses and buildings in flames. Tonamec warriors and Pegasus Guards fought in the streets, while other ponies ran or flew for cover. _They must be looking for me,_ I thought. I had to stop this. But how could I get down there?

"_T__hey must be looking for me,_" I said automatically. They were attacking this village only because of me.

"_Can you stop them?_" the alicorn asked.

"_I think I can._"

"_Then come with me. We need to get you out of Canterlot before my sister returns._"

"_Your sister?_" The alicorn didn't respond, but she held out her hoof to me.

"_Take my hoof._" I hesitated for a second, and then I took her hoof. The world around me dissipated into bright white light.

**Note: I don't own Galaxy – she's actually from G1, so all rights go to Hasbro, Marvel Productions, Sunbow Productions, and Jay Bacal (the creative director of the G1 My Little Pony show).**


	11. Chapter 11: I Can't Go Back

Chapter 10: I Can't Go Back

**Hey everypony! **

**ApolloBrony: Thank you :) – I actually didn't think of an acropolis being Roman. **

**The guest: Thank you :). Stasis…that's a cool idea. I never thought of that. **

**knightofstories141912: Thank you :) – Wow, that's a lot of reviews. I never thought about what would cause the eclipse – since Princess Celestia and Princess Luna control the sun and moon, and they only allow either the sun or the moon to be in the sky at a time, theoretically, eclipses should never happen, unless some other force (i.e., the Spirits) takes control of the sun and moon. **

**Note: I was originally going to have English translations of Tonamec be underlined, but underlining apparently doesn't work with . Oh, well. So, instead, English translations of Tonamec speech will be in parentheses.**

**I also noticed an error in my conlang's grammar, so I've replaced the "Tawape nawal" phrases in Chapters 4 and 5 with "Nawal Tawaran." **_**Nawa**_** means "I", and –**_**l**_** is the ergative suffix (meaning that **_**nawa**_** is the subject of a transitive verb.) There is no word for present tense forms of "be," so we assume that the verb of this sentence is "am" or "is". **_**Tawa**_** is the name of the Tonamec creator deity, and the **_**–r**_** (pronounced as an "alveolar flap" like in Spanish) is the genitive suffix (like "of"). Finally, the –**_**an**_** is the absolutive suffix (meaning that **_**Tawar**_** is the object of a transitive verb.) So, the sentence means "I am of Tawa."**

**Alright, now on with the next chapter – **

I felt my body zooming forward, the air rushing by and whipping my face. I saw nothing but white light, and the only sound was the ringing of magic. Then, out of nowhere, I heard the alicorn's voice: "_We're here._"

The world came back into view. I felt lightheaded, but when I shook off my daze, I saw that Ponyville was now right in front of me. Everywhere Tonamec soldiers and Pegasus Guards were fighting. Arrows poked out of houses, and some houses were on fire.

I saw the alicorn sway on her hooves and almost fall over. She caught herself just in time and shook her head. "_I must return to Canterlot now,_" she said, but shakily. "_Farewell!_" I thought she was going to teleport herself back, but instead she spread her wings and flew off.

I had no time to wonder about that alicorn. I looked back at the town. _I need to stop this,_ I thought. I didn't know what I was going to do, but I ran into the town.

But as soon as I stepped into the main plaza, I heard a female voice shout, "Halt!" I saw Celestia, now in shimmering battle armor, soaring above. Her horn glowed, emitting waves of magic that washed over the entire village. All of the flames were extinguished, leaving only some light smoke in the air. Then, I saw the six ponies from before – with their Elements – run up. The fighting immediately stopped.

Then, I heard a familiar voice say, "_Tonatiuh?_" I turned and, lo and behold, there was my father.

"Dad," I said. My father held me close, but I was too glad to see him to be embarrassed. "_Oh, Tonatiuh, thank goodness you're safe_," he said. "_The ch'ont'aya didn't do anything to you, did they?_"

"_No, Dad, I'm fine,_" I said. I saw two more figures run up.

My father looked at them. "_Camayo, Mazal?_"

It was indeed Camayo and Mazal. Camayo was smiling with relief. "_Thank the Spirits,_" he said.

Mazal scowled. "_You idiot,_" she said, though I could tell she was happy to see me too. "_What were you doing?_"

"_I thought I told you two to stay in Tonameca,_" my father said.

"_Well, Mazal ran off again,_" Camayo said. "_I knew I'd get blamed for it, so I followed her._"

Then, I heard a voice thunder, "You!" I turned and saw Celestia with her horn glowing. She and the six ponies had venomous looks in their eyes. The Elements glinted dangerously in the sun.

"_How dare you come here again?_" Celestia said.

My father stood unafraid and looked back at Celestia with a glare of his own. "_How dare you capture my son?_" he said. I heard some snarls from the warriors. A nearby warrior stepped forward, his spear high, but my father held him back.

"_Dad,_" I said, "_we need to get out of here – they have the Elements!_" My dad and Mazal took one glance at the tiara on Twilight's head, and their anger melted off their faces.

"_Impossible…_" my dad said. "_It really is the Elements…_" All of the warriors around me had the same expression of thinly-disguised fear – and I had the same. Then, a large group of Pegasus Guards descended around us. We were trapped.

Celestia flew down. My father looked her in the eye. "_We came here only to look for my son,_" he said with calm anger. "_We only attacked because your forces attacked us. Let us leave and no blood will be shed._"

"_Tonatiuh is going to make you pay for everything you did to us!_" Mazal yelled. The other warriors roared their approval and stamped their spears. I winced – Mazal must've spread the word about the Great Prophecy. Now the whole tribe probably thinks I'm going to fight Celestia.

"_I defeated you five hundred years ago,_" Celestia said back. "_I can do it again._"

Everything went silent. My father paled. "_Five…hundred years?_" Even Mazal's bravado had disappeared.

My heart sank like a stone in water. We were in those statues for five hundred years? That would why explain Tonameca was in ruins, why our food supplies were gone, why how Galaxy was a Spirit. But…five hundred years? It couldn't be true. It couldn't be. But somehow…I knew Celestia was telling the truth.

Celestia looked stunned, as if she didn't know how to respond to this. All of the Tonamec now looked like they wanted to kill, except for Camayo, who only looked shocked.

Celestia regained the icy look in her eyes. She turned to the six ponies. "Girls?"

"We're on it, Princess Celestia!" Twilight said, holding her horn high. Her horn started to glow with bright white light – and her Element started to glow as well.

I saw the Tonamec raise their spears, but I knew spears would do nothing against magic. It was just like that fateful day when we were turned to stone – cornered by the Elements, nowhere to hide, nothing we could do – _No. I won't let that happen again. _

I took out my bow and began to run. "_Tonatiuh – Tonatiuh, come back! Tonatiuh!_" I heard my father shout after me.

"Stop him!" General Daystar said. Pegasus Guards flew up and started to converge around me. I ducked under and somersaulted out. When I looked up, I saw the face of Applejack. I leveled my bow, nocked an arrow, and fired straight for Applejack's Element necklace. The jewel flew out with the arrow. Time around me seemed to slow down as the jewel was in the air. In a wild move, I swung my arm around, grabbed the Element, and ran away as quickly as I could. I felt Applejack swipe at me as I ran.

"Get back here!" I heard Applejack cry. "Help! Tonatiuh stole my Element!" Then, I felt someone grab the back of my tunic and pull me away. I looked over and saw Camayo and my father. They looked at the Element in my hand and then stared at me with wide eyes. Both of them looked like they wanted to say something, but then a loud roar sounded off.

Dozens of creatures erupted from the Everfree Forest. Manticores, chupacabras, and timberwolves were racing toward us in a massive herd. A flock of dragons soared over, roaring and screeching. A swarm of Parasprites moved in a giant sapient cloud.

"_What in Tawa's name?_" I heard my father say. All of the creatures attacked the ponies. The dragons flew low, belching fire and smoke. The manticores, chupacabras, and timberwolves were circling the ponies, snarling and scratching. Meanwhile, the ponies were blasting magic beams helter-skelter at them.

"_The Spirits have blessed us,_" my father said.

"_Your highness,_" Camayo said. "_We must go, now – Tonatiuh has an Element!_"

"_What?_" my father exclaimed. Just then, a blast of pink light shot over our heads. "_Retreat! All troops, retreat!_"

"_Tonatiuh, Mazal, come with me!_" Camayo said. He took our arms, and we ran to the forest. I looked back and saw another Tonamec fighting with the animals – another Tonamec? We had left someone behind!

"_Wait!_" I said. "_Someone's over there!_"

I pointed at the figure, but my father said, "_Tonatiuh,_ _there's no one there._"

No one there? "_He's right there!_" I said.

"_Tonatiuh, we need to go, now!_" My dad grabbed my wrist and dragged me away. I looked back, but the figure wasn't there anymore – instead I saw Applejack galloping towards us. I saw some warriors bring out their bows and arrows. Suddenly, a _tsolpena_ flower glistening on a tree caught my eye. I had an idea.

"_Don't shoot!_" I said. I ran over to the tree and grabbed the tsolpena flower.

"_Tonatiuh, what are you doing?_" I heard my father say. I pulled out an arrow, wrenched off the tip, and tied the stem to the shaft. I nocked the flower-tipped arrow on my bow, aiming right at Applejack. I let go of the bowstring, and the arrow flew into Applejack's face. She coughed and spluttered, and there was a large flash of light. I turned back and ran before I could see what the _tsolpena_ flower did.

We stopped in a small glen in the forest. My father looked at me, breathing hard. "_Tonatiuh…that was…resourceful._" He smiled. "_I am so glad they didn't hurt you. What happened?_"

"_I think all of us would like to know,_" Mazal said. I told them everything, from admitting I ran after Mazal, to escaping the castle. I decided to leave out the part about seeing Galaxy's Spirit. No one interrupted – though I saw everyone's eyes widen at the mention of Celestia's sister who had helped me escape.

"_I couldn't let them turn us to stone again,_" I said, "_so I took one of the Elements. I'm sorry._"

Mazal laughed. "_And after all that talk about avoiding danger._"

"_Celestia has a sister?_" Camayo said. "_And she helped you?_"

"_We'll ask for details later_," my father said. He sighed. "_Tonatiuh, what you did was extremely reckless and dangerous._"

"_He takes after his father,_" Camayo said, smirking.

My father looked at the Element in my hands. He smiled. "_However, Tonatiuh, you've done something your forefathers have been trying to do for centuries._"

I only stared at him. "_For the ch'ont'aya to use the Elements,_" my father said, "_all of the Elements have to be together. If even one is missing, they are useless. Tonatiuh, you've taken away the ch'ont'aya's greatest weapon!_"

"_Celestia's doomed for defeat!_" Mazal crowed.

But my father soon regained his somber mood. "_But we're having a talk about this when we get back. Mazal and the others told me how you were captured. I was horrified. I wanted to send the entire army out, but Camayo didn't want me to._"

"_But now they know we're all free,_" I said.

"_I know,_" my dad said. "_But we'll worry about that later._" He scowled. "_Five hundred years. She trapped us in stone for five hundred years!_"

"_I have a feeling we all knew that already,_" Camayo said sadly.

My heart sank – Camayo obviously knew Galaxy was dead. "Camayo," I said, "I'm so sorry…" Then, I heard a twig snap.

"_Hide!_" my father hissed. We all lay down behind some brush – which was difficult with twenty warriors.

I saw Celestia and the six ponies enter the glen, five of them with their Elements. I looked at Applejack and, despite the danger we were in, I had to suppress a laugh – she was now the size of my thumb and was sitting on Twilight's back.

Celestia looked very somber. "The Tonamec have escaped," Celestia said. "with an Element of Harmony."

Twilight looked at Celestia. "Your Majesty…I'm sorry we let Tonatiuh escape."

"It's not your fault, Twilight," Celestia said.

"Did you see how they looked at the Elements?" the yellow Pegasus said. "They looked…frightened."

"After what they did to Ponyville – and Sweet Apple Acres – and stealing my Element, they should be frightened!" Applejack said in a high-pitched voice that forced me to bite my tongue to keep from laughing out loud. "I'm gonna make sure those varmints go down and stay down!"

"Yeah!" the rainbow-haired Pegasus cheered. "We're gonna find them, get back the Element, turn them to stone, and make sure they stay stone!"

"Hear, hear!" the white unicorn said.

"Yeah, let's show those meanies!" the pink Earth pony said.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm," Celestia said. "But at any rate, we can't find them, not now. I'll send out some soldiers after him, though. Come now, let's go." The alicorn and ponies left. When we were sure they were gone, we slowly crept out of the brush.

"_Everyone,_" my father said, "_let's get back to Tonameca._"

We slowly crept back into the forest and made our way through. The familiar image of the waterfall gateway came up ahead.

"_Nawal Tawaran_," my father said. With a great rumble, the waterfall parted, revealing the dark cave and the stone steps. I followed my father into the cave.

As soon as I was about to step into the cave, however, I felt the air around me thicken – but it didn't feel…right. The darkness curled all around me. I felt my limbs struggle against the air, until finally I couldn't move at all.

"_Tonatiuh?_" my father said. "_Tonatiuh, what's wrong?_"

"_I…I can't get through,_" I said.

"_What?_" my father exclaimed. He took my hand and tried to pull me through, but the same thing happened.

"_I don't understand,_" my father said. Everyone had stopped walking and looked at us.

Camayo walked over and placed a hand on my forehead. He closed his eyes and stayed for a few seconds. Then, his eyes suddenly widened. He turned to my father and said, "_Pony magic._"

All the soldiers gave a cry of surprise. "_Magic?_" Mazal said, incredulous.

"_My son is under a spell?_" my father said. He looked like he wanted to kill someone

"_Yes,_" Camayo answered, "_and it's very powerful magic._" I thought I felt the air become colder. I was under a spell? But who cast it? Powerful magic…

"_Celestia,_" I said suddenly.

Realization dawned on my father's face before quickly changing to vengefulness. "_Celestia – it has to be! How dare she cast a spell on my son? How do we get rid of this spell?_"

"_I don't know_," Camayo said. "_We have no power against magic._"

"_Then what do we do?_" my father asked desperately.

"_I'll stay here,_" I said.

Everyone looked at me. "_What?_" my dad said.

"_I can't keep you from going back to Tonameca,_" I said. My dad looked like he was going to say something, but then stopped.

"_I'll stay behind with you,_" Mazal said. Everyone's gaze shifted to her.

"_What? But Mazal –_" I started, but she cut me off.

"_Someone has to make sure the Ponies don't kill you,_" she said. She walked over to me.

My father turned to Camayo, a look of surrender on his face. He took a deep breath "Camayo…will you go with them? I want you to protect them."

Camayo smiled. "_I was going to suggest that myself. I shall protect them with my life. That I promise._" He walked over to us.

My father sighed. He held up the Element. "_I'll take this back to Tonameca. The ch'ont'aya won't be able to find it there._" He held Mazal and I close. "_Be careful, you two. I love you._"

"_We love you too, Dad,_" I said.

He let us go and looked at Camayo. "_Goodbye, Camayo. Stay safe._"

Camayo smiled. My father walked slowly back with the other Tonamec into the cave. He gave one last look at us. Then, they disappeared into the darkness.

**Note: Keep that mysterious figure fighting the Ponies in mind – he'll come up in later chapters.**


End file.
